Mega-Selling E-Book

David Cowper

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 318

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2009

Beschreibung

"No matter what your industry, no matter what your product, if you want to sell in the big leagues, this book is a revelation." -Steve Carlson, Publisher and Editor, Marketing Options "David Cowper is not just one of the world's most successful life insurance salespeople, he is one of the cleverest. He thinks his way into giant cases and so can we, if we follow his strategies." -Tony Gordon, Past Chairman, Top of the Table, Bristol, England "David Cowper's book is, by far, the best I have ever read on the art of selling life insurance. Through fascinating storytelling, David reveals the extraordinary scale of thought and passion devoted to his selling opportunities. His book will inspire every reader to add zeros to their sales numbers." -Leon Lewis, Planning Consultant "David Cowper demonstrates how to achieve sales excellence through creativity, intelligence, and the power of stories. This book is required reading for all sales professionals." -Norm L. Trainor, President, The Covenant Group, and Author of The 8 Best Practices of High-Performing Salespeople When David Cowper began his insurance career, he was alone in a new country with no contacts and only forty dollars in his pocket. Three months after entering the business, he still hadn't sold a single policy. But David stuck with it to routinely make million-dollar sales and become one of the top insurance salespeople in the world. More than a rags-to-riches story, Mega-Selling is a first-hand account of the unique strategies David developed to penetrate new markets and close multi-million-dollar sales. With Mega-Selling, any salesperson can learn from the best and become a top performer.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Praise

THE 8 BEST PRACTICES OF HIGH-PERFORMING SALESPEOPLE

Title Page

Copyright Page

About the Authors

DAVID COWPER

DONALD COWPER

ANDREW HAYNES

Acknowledgements

Dedication

Epigraph

Mega-Selling

Part I - The $100,000,000 Case

Chapter 1 - The $100,000,000 Conversation

Break through to selling megacases

Part II - How to Lay the Foundation for Taking Your Business to the Top

Chapter 2 - Creative Survival In the Lean Years

Strategy 1: See Yourself Today As Tou Want to be Tomorrow

Strategy 2: Develop a plan and stick to it

How I Got Into the Paint-selling Business

Strategy 3: Find the Courage to Open Doors and Close Sales

Strategy 4: Hold Personal Strategy Sessions

Chapter 3 - The Knowledge Breakthrough

Strategy 1: Know Your Products

Strategy 2: Make Information Your Own

Strategy 3: Know Your Industry

Three Strategies for Using Knowledge to Close Cases

Chapter 4 - The Power of Passion

Strategy 1: Find Your Own Passion

Strategy 2: Have Passion For the Promise

Strategy 3: Be Passionate About Your Products

Strategy 4: Be Passionate About Your Business

Strategy 5: Use Your Passion to Close Cases

Five Strategies for Finding the Passion to Close Cases

Chapter 5 - Meet the People

Six Handshakes Away From the President

Strategy 1: Leverage Your Network to Its Fullest

Strategy 2: Uncover the Entire Market

Strategy 3: Meet the People Your Prospects Depend On

Strategy 4: Be Visible

Four Strategies for Meeting the People

Chapter 6 - Understand Your Prospects

Strategy 1: Get Inside Your Prospect’s Psyche

Strategy 2: Learn Your Prospect’s Business

Strategy 3: Understand Your Prospect’s Risks

The Three Ways to Pay off a Debt at Death

Three Strategies for Understanding Your Prospects

Part III - How to Sell Megacases and Take Your Your Business to the Top

Chapter 7 - Preparation: The Process Approach

The Five Questions for Evaluating a Prospect

Strategy 1: Sell Yourself

Strategy 2: Disarm Your Prospect

Strategy 3: Find the Decision Maker

Strategy 4: Find the Loss

The Process Approach: 5 Strategies for Preparing Cases

Chapter 8 - The Sales Meeting: Turning Prospects Into Clients

Strategy 1: Sell the Benefit, Not the Features

Strategy 2: Confront Each Objection Head On

Strategy 3: Reveal the Logic of Your Solution

The $2-Million Mistake

Other Cowperisms

Strategy 4: Ask For the Premium

Four Strategies for Turning Prospects Into Clients

Chapter 9 - Persistence in the Megacase

The Megacase Journey

Strategy 1: Stick to Your Guns

Strategy 2: Warehouse Your Cases

Strategy 3: Keep Calling

Strategy 4: Get Outside the 9 Dots

Strategy 5: Walk Away

Five Strategies for Persisting In the Megacase

Part IV - How To Become a Mega-Agent

Chapter 10 - Visualization

Strategy 1: Visualize Your Goals

Strategy 2: Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan

Strategy 3: Train Your Brain for Success

Strategy 4: Visualize the Case

Strategy 5: Use Visualization to Solve a Megacase Crisis

Five Strategies for Visualization

Chapter 11 - The Mega-Agent

Strategy 1: Enable Your Client To Make the Right Decision

Strategy 2: Create New Knowledge

Two Strategies for Becoming a Mega-Agent

Part V - Beyond the Megacase

Chapter 12 - A One-Billion-Dollar Year

Five Business and Sales Opportunities for the Next Century

Opportunity 1: The Rich Are Getting Richer

Opportunity 2: The Golden Age of Entrepreneurs

Opportunity 3: Knowledge Workers

Opportunity 4: The Global Market

Opportunity 5: Massive Estates

Five Business and Sales Opportunities for the Next Century

Praise for David Cowper’s

MEGA-SELLING Secrets of a Master Salesman

“This book has everything to offer: to the beginner to light his way to success; to the 50 year plus experienced veteran, to show where he could and should have been. Every positive adjective and description falls short of its meaningfulness.”

—Nicholas Wise, President, NILA Financial & Insurance Services Inc., 20 year Top Of The Table Qualifier

“I would like to congratulate you on an absolutely outstanding book. I have read Mega-Selling three times, cover to cover, picking up new ideas each time. Your book has been inspirational and motivational. Your art of writing is as eloquent as your fluency in public speaking. I am now waiting for Mega-Selling… The sequel!”

—Peter Lantos, Peter Lantos & Associates

Mega-Selling is certainly a well chosen name for your book. Most literature developed for promotional concepts lacks the real-life drama and excitement that yours has plenty of. It puts life back into life insurance with an easy flowing narrative, which the reader wants to explore to the end.”

—Peter Flatt, Peter Flatt Insurance

“You are a true visionary in our business. Your superb intellectual mind has enabled you to make analogies that are hypnotic to the prospect. This book is a great read for all salespersons, but it is a must read for those selling life insurance.”

—Paul W. Fincham, Executive Planning International LifeInsurance Limited

“It was with great pleasure that I read your latest book. It was far and away the best book on selling insurance that I have read. Most books deal with ‘cutesy’ ideas or read like textbooks; whereas yours reads more like a novel, making it fast paced and highly readable.”

—Walter C. Barclay, BA, CFP, CLU, CH.F.C., Walter C. Barclay Insurance Agency

Well done! Your book is a real winner. I could not put it down until I finished it. It captured my mind from the first page to the last page.”

—Keith Coles, CFP, CLU, CH.F.C., The Coles Group Inc.

“Mega-Selling is a most unusual book. At first I thought I was reading a James Bond spy adventure. This is such a pleasant change from the usual type of sales book. It is like reading a novel you can’t put down.”

—David Baird, Ten Star Life Insurance Brokers Inc.

“I started to read your book and couldn’t put it down. If I had to categorize it, I would put it under suspense.”

—Frank DeFederico, Financial Directions

“I enjoyed your book. It certainly depicts the power of love and conviction for one’s chosen occupation. I am a firm believer in being whatever you want and committing to be a top performer in that field.”

—David Pozer, B.A., L.L.B.,Assistant Vice President & Chief Underwriter,Manulife (International) Limited

“Your book was a fascinating read. I thoroughly enjoyed your examples. Everyone who reads your book will be inspired, undoubtedly, to stretch just a little to reach for his or her own next plateau.”

—Lyle Manery, CLU, CH.F.C., Chimo Financial Services Inc.

Also from John Wiley & Sons and The Covenant Group

THE 8 BEST PRACTICES OF HIGH-PERFORMING SALESPEOPLE

by Norm Trainor, with Donald Cowper and Andrew Haynes

Copyright © 2000 by The Covenant Group

All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the copyrights herein may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means—graphic, electronic or mechanical—without the prior writen permission of the publisher.

Any request for photocopying, recording, taping or information storage and retrieval systems of any part of this book shall be directed in writing to the Canadian Reprography Collective, 6 Adelaide Street East, Suite 900, Toronto, Ontario, M5A 1H6.

Care has been taken to trace ownership of copyright material contained in this text. The publishers will gladly receive any information that will enable them to rectify any reference or credit line in subsequent editions.

John Wiley & Sons Canada Limited22 Worcester Road Etobicoke, Ontario M9W 1L1

Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data

Cowper, David, 1928- Mega-selling : secrets of a master salesman

Includes index.

eISBN : 978-0-470-73926-6

I. Selling. I. Title.

HF5438.25.C.85 C00-930761-3

Production Credits:Cover & text design: Interrobang Graphic Design Inc. Printer: Tri-Graphic Printing Ltd.

About the Authors

DAVID COWPER

David Cowper, CLU, entered the insurance business in 1958, becoming one of the highest performing insurance brokers in the world and a founding member of the Top of the Table. He was a Main Platform speaker for the Top of the Table and the Million Dollar Round Table, a former member of the Faculty of Life Underwriters Association, former member of the Directors of Life Underwriters Association, and former Chairman of the Taxation and Legislation Committee of Life Underwriters Association of Canada. He was a tenor, an avid reader of history, and an aficionado of thoroughbred horse racing.

DONALD COWPER

Donald Cowper, a former insurance broker, is now a writer, and co-author with Norm Trainor and Andrew Haynes of The 8 Best Practices of High-Performing Salespeople. He is also the co-author with Kevin Guest and Andrew Haynes of Youth Violence: How To Protect Your Kids. He lives in Toronto with his girlfriend and editor, Ann Margaret.

ANDREW HAYNES

Andrew Haynes, former publisher of The Species Review, a Canadian high-tech magazine, is a writer and co-author with Norm Trainor and Donald Cowper of The 8 Best Practices of High-Performing Salespeople. He is also the co-author with Kevin Guest and Donald Cowper of Youth Violence: How To Protect Your Kids. He lives in Toronto with his wife, Christine.

Acknowledgments

For nearly 20 years, people have been asking me where my book is. I would always reply, “It’s coming—soon.” Now, thanks to the help of my son Donald and Andrew Haynes, I can at last say that it is here.

I am indebted to Ann Margaret Oberst for her expert editing, Christine Rooney for her insightful suggestions, and my daughter, Dara Cowper, for her astute comments. However, I take full responsibility for any errors that still remain in the book.

Deep thanks go to my wife, Teri, for all her support and love and advice on the manuscript.

I must also thank my other sons, David Jr. and Dalton, and my partner, Richard Steyn, for their input and encouragement.

Donald and Andrew would like to thank their agent, Claire Gerus. They also extend their heartfelt thanks to Ann Margaret and Christine for all of their encouragement, love and invaluable assistance throughout the many long days of this project.

David Cowper

To Teri, who has always been the wind beneath my wings.

“He either fears his fate too much Or his deserts are small, That puts it not unto the touch, To win or lose it all.”

James Graham, Marquis of Montrose (1612-1650), to his mistress

Mega-Selling

In this book, I outline the strategies I have developed during my career to take my business and sales to the top. I am an insurance broker, but the strategies are universal, applicable to all fields and all businesses.

Throughout this book, I sometimes refer to products, concepts, and laws that may or may not apply to your particular area.

All the cases I describe in this book are based on real events; however, in order to protect the privacy and confidentiality of my clients, I have changed all their names and all the telling details of the stories. I have also changed the names of everyone else in this book, except for my own, and those of my wife, Teri, and my first manager in the business, the late Huss Breithaupt. I have also not referred to any particular insurance companies, except the company where I first learned to sell: The New York Life Insurance Company.

Part I

The $100,000,000 Case

1

The $100,000,000 Conversation

At 7:15 it would all be over. There were two possible results: I would either realize my dream, or it would vanish. Either way, my life would be forever changed.

I passed the turnoff for the highway and slowed down, easing my car onto the shoulder, the tires crunching gravel. It was 6:45 AM and the traffic was light, but steady—brief intervals of silence punctuated by the occasional rush of a car roaring past. I hadn’t had much sleep, but my nerves kept me awake. Fifteen minutes to go, and as the seconds ticked away my heart rate accelerated. I needed to relax; everything would depend on my ability to stay focused, controlled. At 7:15 it would all be over. There were two possible results: I would either realize my dream, or it would vanish. Either way, my life would be forever changed.